My 17 year-old self wasn't always the smartest. She wasn't always the happiest, or the most responsible. She really had no idea what she was doing at almost all the wrong times. Of course, I didn't know this at the time, but now I'm able to say I can look back on 17 and realize there's a few things that I wish I would have told myself. Here's to hoping you have experienced the same things in life and have just a few things you wish you knew before 17.

1. Picking the right college doesn't define you. College was all I thought about. Where I would end up, what my life would be like a year from then. After visiting multiple schools on different coasts I realized that I was searching too hard for something that will come naturally to me, and college is really only the experience you make it. 

2. Family comes first. You'd think this was a simple thing to do, but it's something that didn't come easy to me. In high school, everything I did revolved around my friends. I missed all of my siblings' sports games. I never helped them with their homework. Now, living seven hours away, I miss seeing them in their most important years. I don't get to see my little sister go to her homecoming dance or my brother hit home runs in baseball. Your life and theirs don't match up anymore, and your relationship has a different dynamic. Take the time to spend with them before you aren't there anymore to tell your sister how weird her outfit looks or to tell your brother he uses too much Old Spice in the shower. 

3. Your high school friends will become your "high school friends." I never believed the lady at Lululemon who told me two weeks before I was going to leave for college that the friends I was going to make that year were going to be my bridesmaids. First, I just thought it was cheesy. I thought my friends from high school were all I had and that was how it was going to stay. They couldn't be replaced by any sorority sisters or classmates that I only had four years to develop relationships with. I couldn't have been more wrong. My friends from high school still are a huge part of my life, but there's times I look around the room and wonder how I lived my entire life without meeting my friends in college.

4. Stop buying nice clothes. Really, you don't need them. I went to a high school where you looked normal wearing dresses and skirts on a daily basis. Now, you're lucky to see me out of my tennis skirt and sweatshirts. Occasionally there will be events where you have to dress up and will have so many options to choose from because no one will have seen you in any of the outfits yet. Not to mention when you go out you have so many closets to choose from; most of the time my whole outfits are from other people. That's one of the best parts of college by far.

5. Save your money. Take it from your older and wiser 19 year-old self that has currently pulled from her savings three times this semester so far and has about 20 dollars on her debit card. Instead of buying overpriced clothing and shoes for the rest of the year, save it for college when you're sick of dining hall food and want to get dinner or spend five dollars on cover. Or sorority t-shirts because, let's be realistic, that's where all my money goes.

6. Listen to your parents. I never wanted to. I always thought I was doing the right thing and didn't need their help when they offered it. Now, I find myself calling them on a nightly basis asking for advice or wondering what to do. I should be old enough to figure everything out, that things should come easy. I should be able to deal with my stress on my own and not have to explain it to my parents. I've never felt so lost without their guidance and little did I realize years before I was neglecting it. Your parent's advice is some of the most valuable you will ever hear. 

7. You will find your place. With the whole world changing around you and college creeping into the back of your mind, you'll realize you're not quite prepared for the road ahead. Little do you know that you'll not only find your place, but you'll thrive in it. Throw that graduation cap in the air and say goodbye to your friends as they scatter to only dots on the map. Sit yourself down in your brand new dorm room, brand new life, and great new world. You'll be introduced to the greatest people you'll ever meet and embark on the start of the best years of your life. I know you're only 17, but get yourself out there. Not only because you're being forced to grow up, but because I know you'll do one hell of a job.